"Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries"

COLUMBIA - Daylight Savings Time officially begins at 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning (March 10th) prompting the time-honored tradition of setting our clocks forward one hour before going to bed the night before. The Boone County Fire District encourages residents to participate in the "Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery" campaign by installing a new battery in all home smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors when they set their clocks ahead.

All batteries loose their effectiveness over time and having a fresh one in your home smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector is imperative. Two out of every ten smoke detectors fail to operate because of dead or missing batteries. If a fire occurs, working smoke detectors cut the risk of dying in a home fire nearly in half by providing an early warning and critical extra seconds to escape.

The Fire District is again participating in the "Change" campaign which is something we have done since it was developed in 1987 in response to an alarming increase in the number of home fire deaths despite the widespread use of smoke detectors. Energizer Brand Batteries, the flagship brand of Eveready Battery Company, Inc., in cooperation with the International Association of Fire Chief's, created the campaign when they realized that smoke alarmneglect was not being addressed on a large scale and that a public education program was needed.

Fast Facts:Children: An average of three children die each day in home fires. Fire is the No. 2 cause of accidental deaths among children under age five, placing them at double the risk of dying in a home fire. Ninety percent of fire deaths involving children occur in homes without working smoke detectors.

Seniors: American adults over age 75 are three times more likely to die in home fires than the rest of the population. Many seniors have difficulty with mobility and are unable to escape quickly. A working smoke detector ensures prompt notification in case of a fire.

Low-Income Households: Many low-income families are unable to afford batteries for their smoke detectors. These households sometimes rely on poorly installed, maintained or misused portable or area heating equipment which is a main cause of fatal home fires.

Smoke Detector Information:

Smoke Detector Locations - Experts recommend installing smoke detectors in the following areas:• Inside each bedroom• In the main corridor outside each bedroom area• Above stairwells in the home's upper levels and• On the ceiling at the bottom of a basement stairwell.

Placement - Ideally, smoke detectors should be installed in the middle of the Ceiling. As an alternative, smoke detectors can be mounted on the wall at least 3 feet from a corner and 4 to 6 inches from the ceiling. Keep them away from windows, air vents, and other sources of drafts.

Testing - Test your smoke detectors on the first day of each month in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

Batteries - Replace batteries on smoke detectors once every six months, or once a year, based on the manufacturer's instructions.

Cleaning - Clean all smoke detectors regularly by dusting or vacuuming them according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Replacing Smoke Detectors - Smoke detectors do not last forever. Manufacturers typically suggest replacing them after 10 years of use.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors - Carbon Monoxide detectors should be place outside sleeping areas and on every level of the home. Carbon monoxide is colorless odorless gas and is often referred to as the "silent killer".